13 On the same day, two of Jesus’ followers were walking to a village called Emmaus, about 60 stadia from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about all these things that had taken place. 15 While they were discussing and analyzing what had happened, Jesus himself approached and began to walk with them… [Luke 24:13-15, ISV].
Jacques Stella, Journey to Emmaus, c. 1640-1650
One of the mysterious aspects of the Resurrection is that the identity of the newly risen Jesus is initially not recognized by even his close followers. The Gospels testify in unison that the disciples did not expect him to return to life, despite his earlier repeated predictions for their benefit. The empty tomb only raised unanswered questions, leaving the women “perplexed (Luke 24:4), and their report to the male apostles only seemed to them “an idle talk” that could not be believed (Luke 24:11).
Where the Gospels do report the disciples meeting the crucified Jesus alive again, the experience only rendered them amazed, puzzled and confused.
- So Mary Magdalene thought Jesus was a gardener (John 20:16). Other disciples, startled and surprised, supposed that they saw a spirit (Luke 24:37), or just another man walking on the Galilee shore (John 21:4).
- The case involving Thomas is more articulate as he verbalized what might be implicit in everyone’s mind, namely, how on earth can someone rise from the dead, under what conditions, why would it happen, and by whose or what power might such a feat be achieved, assuming it was at all possible? Thomas adamantly refused to believe the other apostles who claimed that they had seen the Lord. Clear-minded and acting quite reasonably, one might argue, he refused to take the other apostles’ word for it, that they had truly seen the Lord. What they said was not something believable. To expect Thomas to have “faith” in what the others claimed, he demanded to place his fingers in the nailed hands and pierced side of the crucified Jesus who had allegedly risen (John 20:25). Certainly, those were reasonable demands by any right-thinking person.
Reading the Gospel accounts today concerning the reactions of the early disciples to Jesus’ death and reaction, we tend to be surprised by the level of “lack of faith” on their part on two counts.
- First, of the suffering and death which Jesus had thrice predicted, his disciples could not accept.
- And second, of the resurrection which he spoke in the same predictions, they had absolutely no comprehension of what that could possibly mean.
It is so easy for us today to say that the first disciples lacked the imagination and “leap of faith” to grasp the reality of Jesus rising from the dead. We kind of think it was quite “funny”, if not “silly”, that they could not and did not recognize the risen Lord. We neglect the fact that the first Christians, in grappling with the resurrection of Jesus, were struggling with a never-before phenomenon. Understandably, they lacked the capacity to see and comprehend completely. The benefit of centuries of faith maturation that we enjoy was not on their side. Indeed, when Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, humanity was given a new lease of life even as it lay in slumber, blissfully unaware that God has wrought changes of cosmic proportions pro nobis – for us, for our good, on account of Christ. For in raising Jesus from the dead, God had begun the process of raising the dead. He did it for Jesus; He will do it for us who die in the Spirit of Christ.
1. Luke Emphasizes Personal Encounter with the Risen Jesus
Luke, who says nothing of meetings with Jesus at the tomb, says a great deal about the importance of Christians encountering the risen Jesus. The Evangelist does this by reporting in some detail two encounters in the last chapter of his Gospel:
- The meeting of Jesus with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35); and
- The appearance to the same two disciples and the Eleven apostles gathered together in Jerusalem (Luke 24:36-53).
The amount of details Luke puts into the Emmaus story is particularly impressive. At the heart of that sublime story lies the personal encounter of two disciples on life’s critical journey with the risen Jesus. The extraordinary character of Luke’s narrative is further seen in the fact that to record a tradition in such great detail, Luke would mention the Eleven apostles ever so briefly only at the end of his Gospel. Clearly, we may draw from the Evangelist four crucial teachings:
- First, Luke has written a Gospel to the Church the risen Christ has left behind, that all disciples are to encounter the Crucified and Risen Jesus.
- Second, Luke has demonstrated to the hilt how they may encounter the Crucified and Risen Jesus in the Scriptures and in the breaking of the bread.
- Third, the good news proclaimed by Luke says that Jesus crucified has been raised and that he has a body, a body that bears the wounds suffered in crucifixion (Luke 24:39).
- Fourth, disciples who have encountered the Crucified and Risen Jesus will be inspired to go on mission to share the good news with others.
2. How We Fail in Encountering Jesus Risen
We forget, even today, despite the benefit of the accumulated wisdom and the wealth of experience of two thousand years’ history of reading and living the Gospel, how paltry our record is in the way of belief, acceptance and recognition of “the diverse manifestations of Jesus: his presence in the Word, the community, the sacraments, the beauty of nature, or in the quiet resting of the spirit in one’s being.” [See Robert J. Wicks, ed., Handbook of Spirituality for Ministers: Perspectives for the 21st Century, Vol.2, p.153.] Contemporary spiritual giants of the likes of Saint (Mother) Teresa of Calcutta and Pope Francis would readily add to this litany of manifestations the hungry and the sick, the Poor and the oppressed, just as the Lord Jesus has taught in Matthew 25:38-40. Have we recognized Christ at the bread lines, or the food-bank queues for the jobless under the Covid-19 pandemic?
The account of the two Emmaus-bound disciples offers many lessons for our pilgrimage on earth. Too often, our failures, personal losses and tragedies are like our crucifixion. Our wounds are so deep and our pain so excruciating, that we fumble as to how we might interpret our life crises in the light of the Easter resurrection. We recoil into ourselves. Like the two Emmaus disciples, we tend to walk away from community support and alienate ourselves. Like them, we discount what others (women and men) in the community say about their experience of the resurrection. Like them, too, we are unable to see and understand. So we remain burned out, deflated, and depressed.
Approaching us incognito but with infinite compassion, Jesus draws near as a fellow pilgrim, a companion on the way. In our own grief, our eyes are veiled and we cannot recognize him. Yet he is patient. He accepts us where we are, and as we are, at whatever stage of faith journey we may be. On his cross, he taught us how to pray. On the road, he helps us find the truth and the light to rekindle our Easter faith.
3. Suggested Actions
For the myriad lessons we can learn from Luke’s Emmaus story, Wicks’ Handbook of Spirituality for Minister (Vol.2, pages 154-155) offers a list of suggestions as to what we can do when we experience our own “dark nights”:
- In times of distress, remember Jesus is the compassionate Lord who walks as a friend with you on your troubled journey.
- In times of trial, do you tend to walk away and alienate yourself from the community? What would you do to seek help?
- Jesus listened as the disciples poured out their crises and confusion. To whom do you pour out your doubt and grief? When others who are in trouble and difficulties come to you for a listening ear, do you listen as Jesus did?
- Jesus turned to Scriptures for a deeper understanding of suffering and glory. How would you employ the Emmaus story for lessons of comfort and guidance? Which passages do you find meaningful for connecting with the risen Jesus?
- The two from Emmaus invited the stranger to stay the night at their village. What lessons do you pick up from there?
- At table, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to the disciples. The Emmaus journey discloses two components essential to living the Easter life – Word and Eucharist. In times of distress, how do you partake of the wellspring of sacramental life?
- Jesus spent the entire afternoon on the road with the disciples, offering them what may be described as a retreat and a pilgrimage. In our own distress and confusion, Jesus is also by our side, accepting us as we are, and accompanying us on our transition through the stages of healing. How do you see your own mending process?
- Jesus’ presence to them caused the burning hearts in the disciples. Now faith and insight renewed, they returned to the community in Jerusalem, the place of hope and mission-fulfillment for Jesus. How do you nourish your heart to live and love better? As the two disciples had a conversion-experience, what opportunities for conversion do you see available to you?
Copyright © Dr. Jeffrey & Angie Goh, July 2021. All rights reserved.
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